They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with Marc L. Abbott, whose novel co-written with Steven Van Patten, Hell at the Way Station, is available now from Laughing Black Vampire productions.
What does Marc love when he not trading creepy, spooky, and bizarre stories with co-writers for your entertainment? Spoiler alert: a horror movie that changed all of the rules, an author who wasn’t just jaw-ing around, fighting monsters from myth, and a perfect science fiction film. Intrigued? Read on to learn more!
Horror Films
Psycho: I remember the first time I got to see this film and was terrified beyond belief. We all know the famous shower scene but there is so much more to this movie than that. There is an eerie tone to it that never gets old no matter how many times I watch it. A perfect blend of horror and mystery.
I also happen to be a big fan of dialogue. The combination of writer Joseph Stefano’s screenplay and the actor’s delivery by direction by Sir Alfred Hitchcock is gripping and chilling. There is a line in the film, delivered by John McIntire who plays Deputy Sheriff Al Chambers that no matter how many times I hear him say it, sends chills through me.
It comes right after it is revealed that (spoiler alert here) Norman Bates’ mother is dead. Even though the characters in the film have sworn they saw her sitting by the window of the house behind the hotel. He says, “If the woman you saw in that window is Norman Bates’ mother, who is that woman buried in Greenlawn Cemetery?” His gravely, deep voice delivers that line that in such a way you start to question your own sanity at that point.
Psycho is horror in its purest form. It’s what you don’t see that becomes terrifying and when you’re in the dark about what’s happening as much as the characters are, that just ramps things up. There’s no complex story here. I can sit back and enjoy it from start to finish every time. It’s one of the few that if I happen to pass it on cable, I will go back and watch it no matter where in the story it is. Hands down, it’s my favorite horror film.
Books/Author
The Works of Peter Benchley (Beast, White Shark): I have a lot of favorite authors and being a horror enthusiast, it took me a moment to consider which book or author was at the top of that list.
I came into his work after I got out of college. I had a list of authors I wanted to read but never did. I knew Benchley from Jaws, but I didn’t want to read that one since I knew the movie too well. So, I went with two I had never heard of and was immediately hooked. In fact, it was his style of writing that influenced my writing monsters. He had a beautiful way of telling the story from the point of view of the creature that made the stories very unsettling. These two are the only books I have read more than once, and I enjoy them every time I do. Beast is the one that terrifies me the most.
The premise is a simple one. A fishing community in Bermuda is terrorized by and unknown sea creature a veteran fisherman named Whip Darling (what an awesome name) must use his knowledge of the sea and the help of a marine biologist to get to the bottom of things. They soon discover that the deaths and disappearances of both visitors and locals is being caused by a giant squid that has come from the depths in search of food.
What makes this book terrifying is that Benchley gives us the creature attacks for the POV of the squid. That’s how he hides the actual scale of the beast. Reading it, you think you have an idea of just how monstrous in size and how violent it is, but then he switches the POV to the protagonists. The very first time I read the description I yelled out in shock. It’s worth the read.
White Shark keeps with the sea predator theme but this goes to a place I wasn’t prepared for, and I love stories that do that. A Nazi experiment involving a half man/half shark hybrid that was to be a new form of super soldier awakens after being dormant since World War II. After it attacks and mutilates several people off the shores of Long Island, Dr. Simon Chase, a marine biologist, is called in to figure out what kind of animal is doing the killing. When the creature is revealed, it becomes a race against time to stop it.
There’s something very particular this creature does that I will not say because I don’t want to spoil it. But this is a wonderful foray into speculative fiction for the late Peter Benchley that I feel everyone should at some point read and enjoy.
Video Game
Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey: One of my favorite ways to unwind is playing video games. Assassin’s Creed has become one of my favorites in terms of role-playing games, and the most recent addition takes place in during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. You play as a Spartan mercenary hunting down a cult that is playing both sides of the war, creating more chaos within the world.
The game has a rich story in which the character you play, Misthios (mercenary), was thrown off a cliff as a child due to an Oracle’s prophesy. He survives the fall and flees to the island of Kefalonia where he grows up performing odd jobs and learning the ways of becoming a mercenary. As you play the game, the story slowly unfolds before you. Missions take you all over the Grecian world. The choices you make determine the outcome of battles on land and at sea, whether someone lives or dies and even who you can have a relationship with.
You also get to interact with historical figures like Socrates and Hippocrates. But my absolute favorite moments in the game is having the chance to battle creatures from Greek mythology. As a kid, mythical monsters were fascinating to me and were the highlights of movies like Clash of the Titans and Jason and the Argonauts. Getting to go toe-to-toe with them on the screen is exciting. From the Cyclops, Cerberus and the Minotaur to Medusa, I never grow tired of playing this game. The world is so expansive that it will take time for you to get through it all, but you’re never bored.
The entire Assassin’s Creed series covers much ground, from Ancient Egypt to Victorian London (and yes, that series you get to hunt Jack the Ripper), so if you’re a gamer and haven’t tried it out, do so when you get the chance.
Speculative Fiction Film
The Fifth Element: This is without a doubt the one film I feel is, as they say about LeeLoo, the Fifth Element in the movie, perfect. The blend of Science Fiction, Action, Comedy, and Fantasy, I consider this Luc Besson’s masterpiece. An ancient evil is hurtling through space on its way to destroy Earth and the only hope for mankind is the Fifth Element. The element, in the form of an alien being, is making its way to Earth with four elemental stones it will use to stop this evil. But the being is attacked by a group of mercenaries, the stones are stolen, and the being is left for dead.
However, using a severed hand of the alien, scientist reconstruct the Fifth Element into a human female named LeeLoo, who escapes, meets a former Special Forces soldier turned taxi driver named Korben Dallas, and the two begin an adventure to retrieve the stones and save the world.
The madness that ensues is nonstop, from the comedic timing of Chris Tucker to the dark humor of Gary Oldman, perfectly fits the outrageous action. And what I love about this film is how obvious Bruce Willis had fun doing it. There are moments where you can tell he’s trying not to laugh at his co-star’s antics. That just makes the film even more genuine I feel.
There is something for everyone in this movie and whenever I can’t decide what I feel like watching, I turn to The Fifth Element and just let it take me away. No matter how many times I watch this, I still laugh and cheer at certain parts. I highly recommend this film if you haven’t seen it. And if you have, watch it again. If for nothing else, to try and picture Prince (yes, the late singer) in the role of Ruby Rhod as he was the first choice to play him before Chris Tucker took it. Super Green!
Marc L. Abbott is the author of the YA novel The Hooky Party and the children’s book Etienne and the Stardust Express. His short story’s “Welcome to Brooklyn, Gabe” and “A Marked Man” are featured in the Bram Stoker Nominated horror anthology New York State of Fright and Hell’s Heart. He is the co-author of Hell at the Way Station, the two-time African American Literary Award-winning horror anthology with award winning author Steven Van Patten.
In film, he is the writer and director of the horror shorts SNAP and Being Followed. A two-time nominated best actor for his role in the science fiction film Impervia. His next featured role with be in the film Identity Check, due out in the spring of 2020.
In storytelling, A 2015 Moth Story Slam and Grand Slam Storyteller winner. The writer and performer of the storytelling solo shows Love African American Style and Of Cats and Men: A Storytellers Journey. He is the host of the monthly storytelling show Maaan, You’ve Got to Hear This! in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
He is one of the hosts for the podcast Beef, Wine and Shenanigans and an active member of the HWA New York Chapter.
Find out more about him at www.whoismarclabbott.com
Author Photo by John Sheehan Photography
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